Republican state lawmakers are calling on the Connecticut Department of Education to respond to a second lawsuit filed by a graduate of Hartford Public Schools who has a disability and alleges she never learned to read or write.
Aleysha Ortiz filed the complaint in Hartford Superior Court Friday against the City of Hartford, the local board of education and a special education case manager in the district. Ortiz alleged she was bullied, harassed and neglected by district staff, including the case manager.
In a letter Wednesday, State Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding and Sen. Eric Berthel, a ranking member on the Legislature’s Education Committee, asked Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker for her reaction to the latest legal action.
“The student was allegedly denied services — over 12 years — due to lack of funding and roadblocks to learning at many levels,” the letter read. The senators inquired whether Russell-Tucker has discussed the case with local officials in Hartford, and they asked for “a summary of state education funding for Hartford for the past 12 years.”
“We continue to seek accountability as to how this student was illiterate when she graduated and how the system failed her year after year,” the letter read.
Ortiz’s plight was the subject of an investigation by The Connecticut Mirror published Sept. 29. Her earlier lawsuit, a special education due process complaint, was filed over the summer and is still in process.
In the days following the story’s publication, several lawmakers from both parties expressed concern about the oversight of public school funding. Some said they plan to push the Legislature to weigh education reforms that address the issues Ortiz’s case has raised.
The latest communication is one of several similar letters Republican lawmakers have sent to the education department in response to Ortiz’s story and subsequent developments.
Berthel, Harding and Sen. Lisa Seminara, R-Avon, contacted Russell-Tucker in early October for her response to the CT Mirror’s initial report. In a letter to the lawmakers Oct. 15, Russell-Tucker said she shared their concerns, writing, “No child should ever graduate high school without learning to read or write.”
The commissioner further highlighted state efforts to prevent more students ending up in positions like Ortiz, including the recent passage and implementation of Right to Read legislation, new supports for multilingual students and their families and an ongoing audit of Hartford Public Schools and the district’s fiscal health.
The lawmakers wrote Russell-Tucker again in late October following a Hartford Board of Education meeting. During that meeting, Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez acknowledged the investigation and pledged to conduct the district’s own probe. In public comments at the meeting, teachers made the case that Ortiz was denied services because of a lack of funding.
Russell-Tucker responded to that letter on Nov. 13, saying the department had requested Ortiz’s education records from Hartford and would be reviewing them. She also said the department would meet with Hartford’s superintendent and work to assess the programming and funding available at the schools Ortiz attended.
“We are also in the process of compiling the requested information pertaining to state education for Hartford for the past 12 years; however this may take several weeks to complete,” the letter read.
In response to a request for comment on the latest letter from lawmakers, department spokesman Matthew Cerrone pointed to the commissioner’s previous responses, saying they address much of what was requested in Wednesday’s letter.
Earlier this week, at the Hartford Board of Education’s December meeting, Ortiz spoke publicly for the first time since the CT Mirror investigation published.
She fumbled with the microphone, gathered herself and took several deep breaths. Her voice cracked as she started speaking.
“I wish I could say I was a proud graduate of Hartford Public Schools, but I consider myself more as a survivor,” Ortiz said. “My chance at a successful future was supposed to be my right, but instead, you made it a tease and that should be illegal.”
Ortiz’s eyes were welling up, but she gained confidence as she spoke. She said her inability to read and write makes daily life a challenge. “Every milestone I am supposed to have here is now a struggle. I cannot read road signs, how am I supposed to get my driver’s license? Text-to-speech shouldn’t be the only way I can express myself. How am I supposed to work my first job?” Ortiz said.
But she said she’s determined to be part of the solution. “I am here for the kids who suffered and continue to suffer just like me. I believe in a future where each student will leave Hartford Public Schools with a story of success, a story that will show the entire state that being from the capital is something to be proud of.”